As some Kohler workers prepare to shift roles, the company affirms its local commitment

More than 300 Sheboygan County-based Kohler Co. employees will be transferred to other divisions when the company consolidates its small engines division in Mississippi later this year.(Photo: Marina Affo/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

SHEBOYGAN - "They stuck their sweat and tears into that engine division and went through the ups and downs with it," said Tim Tayloe. "It's heartbreaking."

Tayloe, president of United Auto Workers Local 833, is referring to the 325 Kohler Co. workers who will shift roles when the company's small engines division relocates from Sheboygan County to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, later this year. United Auto Workers Local 833 is the union that represents 280 of those employees.

In a statement, Kohler said it will provide all affected workers with different jobs in Sheboygan. But this means big changes for some Kohler employees who have been working in the engines division for as many as 40 years, Tayloe said.

Kohler has been working with the union to ensure that all employees are taken care of during and after the transition, but Tayloe said Kohler's decision to close the Sheboygan County engines plant was still disappointing.

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Tim Tayloe, president of United Auto Workers Local 833, the union that represents most of the affected employees, said Kohler has worked well with the union throughout the transition.(Photo: Marina Affo/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

There is a lot of seniority in the engines division and the shift will be an adjustment for many workers, Tayloe said. Between 70 and 80 of the affected employees have already begun working in other departments, he said.

According to Tayloe and Kohler, most of the engine division workers will go to Kohler's generators, faucets and cast iron divisions. A couple will go to the enamel shop.

Depending on their past training and the division they're transferred to, some workers may get a reduction in pay, Tayloe said, but it would like be temporary while they receive training for their new roles.

The union negotiated a $1 raise for all employees who stay with the engines division until its projected shutdown at the end of 2019. This includes new workers hired to replace engines division employees who've already been transferred. All workers who stay until the plant shuts down will receive an additional bonus based on the number of hours they worked during the transitional period.

Tayloe said Kohler has worked well with the union. Other divisions of Kohler have expanded their Sheboygan County operations, he said, which also bodes well for union members.

Still, he hopes newer employees — particularly those who have been with Kohler for less than a year — don't lose out during the transition due to their shorter tenures with the company.

"I'm just hoping Kohler keeps their promise to all these new ones coming off the street, that they will have jobs at the end of the day," Tayloe said.